Latest Ebola News: Maldives on Ebola alert

Latest Ebola News: Maldives on Ebola alert

The Ebola outbreak in West Africa has given rise to an alarming situation. According to a statement, an alert has been issued by the Maldives health ministry Monday advising people to follow precautionary measures against the dangerous Ebola virus. The health alert also stated that health authorities in collaboration with the immigration department are working closely to monitor passengers traveling from countries infected with Ebola virus, Xinhua reported.

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), there could be ways through which this virus may be spreading. Therefore, it is advised that people should not to travel to countries where the virus is spreading. Till date, more than 1200 people have been infected with the virus and 600 have lost their lives.

A cure has not yet been found for the deadly virus, which can be transmitted with ease from person-to-person by means of blood, bodily fluids, or by sharing sharp objects such as syringe needles with a person infected with the virus. Symptoms of the disease become visible within two to 21 days of infection. Early symptoms include fever, body ache, weakness, nausea and a neck pain.

In addition to the health alert issued for the Ebola outbreak, another alert was also issued for the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) which is spreading in the Arabian peninsula. This includes Saudi Arabia, from where a large number of Maldivians continue to come back after performing Umrah.

What is Ebola virus?

The Ebola virus disease (EVD), formerly known as Ebola hemorrhagic fever is a severe condition caused by a virus from the Filoviridae family. Known to be a condition that is transmitted from animals to humans, this virus spreads through direct contact with the bodily fluids of an infected person or animal.

What are the symptoms?

The incubation period (or the time between when the actual infection takes place to the time when a person sees symptoms of this condition) for this disease is about one week. After this period a person will commonly see the signs that are considered as ‘early symptoms’.  According to Dr Ratan, the early symptoms include fever, rashes, headache, nausea, vomiting and stomach pain. Apart from that a person may also experience symptoms like pain in the lower back, arthritis like pain all over the body, diarrhea and a sore throat. Read more about Ebola virus — causes, symptoms, diagnosis, treatment, prognosis and prevention

With inputs from IANS